Chapter 03
Park Jinseong watched the scene unfolding before his eyes in a daze.
‘What… what just happened?’
Just moments ago, he had been surrounded by a pack of goblins and only a step away from death.
During the long battle, he had somehow managed to kill two of them, but after that, he had been too busy defending himself to even think about attacking.
‘Minju has completely run out of mana too.’
His teammate, healer Kim Minju, who had been casting healing magic throughout the fight, had exhausted all of her mana.
The situation had become completely hopeless.
They had truly been standing at death’s door.
‘It was right then.’
A mysterious young man suddenly appeared from the bushes.
He was carrying an injured person on his back, so it was impossible to say how much help he would really be.
Still, in their desperate situation, even one more ally was better than none.
But before offering help, the young man proposed a deal.
‘Up until then, I really didn’t trust him…’
Even so, Park Jinseong accepted immediately.
He had no choice.
When your life is on the line, you’ll grab even a straw if it might save you.
But after that…
The battle changed completely.
No—
It was utterly one-sided.
Every movement was decisive.
Every sword strike pierced a vital point.
Each time the young man’s sword flashed, another goblin collapsed helplessly.
Park Jinseong couldn’t understand what he was seeing.
‘He doesn’t seem especially faster or stronger… but every movement is so clean. Could he be a climber who somehow got dragged into this kidnapping event? Just how high has he climbed? The 10th floor? No… at least the 15th.’
People generally divided Awakeners into two types.
Those who chose safety and repeatedly farmed the lower floors—the salarymen.
And those who risked their lives climbing the Tower—the climbers.
As someone who belonged to the first group, Park Jinseong felt the young man before him was fundamentally different.
‘So this is what a real climber is like… He’s so young, yet…’
He looked barely over twenty.
But there was nothing youthful or inexperienced about the tip of his sword.
‘We can survive… We can actually make it out alive. As long as we’re with him.’
It wasn’t only Park Jinseong who felt that way.
His teammate, healer Kim Minju, was equally shocked.
She had spent an entire year repeatedly clearing only the first through third floors.
She had seen countless Awakeners.
But nothing like this.
‘I thought we were going to die… and yet it’s this easy?’
Poison.
Groups of seven goblins.
The difficulty was already far beyond what should exist on the first floor.
‘At this level… he has to be above the 10th floor.’
Since the third floor was the highest she had ever reached, she couldn’t even estimate the true difficulty of this place.
Yet the monsters that had pushed them to the brink…
…were being cut down as if they were nothing.
‘He’s already killed three?’
Before she realized it, the goblins had been reduced from five to two.
Everything that happened was unbelievable.
If the humans watching were this shocked…
How terrified must the goblins themselves be?
“Kerrk! Keruk!”
The remaining two goblins exchanged hurried cries before turning around and running.
Even if no one understood their language, everyone could guess what they were saying.
Unfortunately for them…
They were simply destined to follow the three friends who had gone ahead.
“Oppa! One’s coming this way!”
“I’m already ready!”
One goblin charged toward Park Jinseong and Kim Minju.
The other met the young man’s sword.
‘Flash Slash!’
His blade flashed once more.
Not every one of the young man’s attacks cleanly beheaded a goblin.
Sometimes he knocked away a weapon aimed at him.
Sometimes the blade only grazed his opponent.
Yet whenever that blade flashed…
A goblin’s head always ended up on the ground.
The result was the same this time.
Thud.
Its tough green skin…
Its flesh…
Its bones…
None of them offered any resistance.
Once the flash passed,
Only a neatly severed head remained rolling across the ground.
That was all.
Shaking the blood from his sword, the young man turned toward Park Jinseong and Kim Minju.
“This side is finished.”
Park Jinseong, who had barely managed to kill the fleeing goblin, stammered,
“Th-thank you. You saved our lives.”
“Thank you… You’re really incredible.”
Though still stunned, neither of them forgot to express their gratitude.
The young man simply gave a small nod.
“I don’t need your thanks. It was a deal.”
His eyes shifted toward Kim Hyung.
“More importantly, he needs treatment immediately.”
The young man—
Sihyeon—
spoke quietly.
“I’ve done my part.”
“Now it’s your turn.”
The demand was simple.
I had fulfilled my side of the bargain.
Now it was their turn.
The healer swallowed nervously before approaching Hyung and placing her hand over his wound.
Hummm—
A faint light began gathering at her fingertips.
‘Finally.’
Just as I let out a sigh of relief…
The light faded away.
“…?”
“Ah…!”
The healer lowered her hand in panic.
An icy voice escaped before I realized it.
“What are you doing?”
“M-my mana is completely empty. I used it all fighting the goblins. Don’t worry! It’ll recover soon. Five minutes… no, ten minutes should be enough.”
She desperately tried to explain with tears welling up in her eyes.
I barely suppressed the anger rising inside me.
“Ten minutes?”
“You think we have that much time?”
“I-I’m not refusing to help! Just give me a little time! If I rest, I’ll recover enough mana for one heal…”
Even now…
Hyung’s condition was steadily worsening.
No—
To anyone watching, it actually looked like he was getting better.
But instinct told me the truth.
He wasn’t recovering.
He was dying.
“Hyung. Don’t fall asleep.”
The battle had briefly brought him back to his senses.
Now his eyes were closing again.
“Uh… Sihyeon… I’m so sleepy…”
“Stay awake.”
“If you close your eyes now…”
“You might never open them again.”
“…I can’t.”
“I have to see my wife… and my kids…”
It wasn’t sleepiness.
His life itself was fading away.
This wasn’t something determination alone could overcome.
I had to think of something.
‘Wait… my skill!’
An idea suddenly struck me.
I immediately tried to open my status window.
No—
Before I even consciously did it, the window appeared on its own.
[Awakener Information]
Name: Kim Sihyeon
Highest Floor Reached: Floor 0
Owned Skills: Shadow Mimicker (Unique)
▶ Shadow Imprint: Flash Slash (D-)
“…?”
Does it react to my thoughts?
I immediately asked another question in my mind.
‘Record… no, how do I change the imprinted shadow?’
[Activation Condition: Contact with the target’s shadow.]
※ You must accurately step on the target’s shadow to imprint it.
‘So that’s why it’s called Shadow Mimicker.’
‘The time I stepped on Hyung’s shadow… was when I borrowed his dropped sword.’
That had to be it.
That answered what I needed to know.
“I think I’ve found a way.”
“Huh? How?”
“I’m afraid I can’t explain.”
I had no intention of telling them how my skill worked.
Even I could tell.
My ability was something special.
‘At least… I’ve never heard of anyone with a power like this.’
From experience, people already became hostile if someone merely copied their techniques after watching them a few times.
Mine didn’t imitate.
It copied.
There was no way I could reveal something like that so casually.
“Healer.”
“Yes?”
Of course, I couldn’t hide everything.
Saving Hyung came first.
So I mixed in a small lie.
“Excuse me.”
“May I borrow your hand for a moment?”
“My hand? Um… I don’t mind, but… you’re not going to do anything strange, are you?”
She looked at me warily.
“I am going to do something.”
“It’s to save my teammate.”
“You won’t be harmed.”
At least, I didn’t think she would.
My skill copied someone’s power.
It didn’t steal it.
‘I upheld my end of the bargain.’
‘They’re the ones failing to fulfill theirs.’
‘Asking for this much is fair.’
Perhaps realizing the same thing, she glanced at Hyung before slowly extending both hands.
“…Alright.”
“If that’s the case…”
“Here.”
“Thank you.”
I pretended to take her hand…
While secretly stepping on her shadow.
Immediately, another translucent window appeared.
[New shadow contact detected.]
[Target: Awakener ‘Kim Minju’]
[Activating Unique Ability: Shadow Mimicker.]
It felt as if invisible threads connected my shadow to hers.
‘…So this is how it feels?’
[Analyzing information…]
[Another shadow is already imprinted.]
[The current imprint must be erased before imprinting a new shadow.]
[Proceed anyway?]
‘So I have to give one up to gain another…’
There was no choice.
Right now…
I needed medicine more than a sword.
‘Yes.’
‘Imprint it.’
[Erasing previous shadow.]
[Target possesses only one skill.]
[Skipping selection.]
[Attempting Shadow Imprint.]
I felt a fragment of her power flow into me.
[Shadow Imprint Complete.]
[Shadow Imprint: Healing Touch (Rank C- / Source: Kim Minju)]
The Healing Touch skill felt completely natural.
As though I had always known how to use it.
At the same time…
The familiar sensation of Flash Slash gradually faded away.
‘Done.’
That alone meant I was halfway to success.
Feeling much calmer, I began treating Hyung.
“Hyung.”
“You said earlier you’d endure it like Guan Yu, right?”
“Uh…”
“You still mean that?”
“Huh?”
He was barely conscious.
That answer probably wasn’t agreement.
But I wasn’t asking.
I was informing him.
“Then…”
“I’m pulling out the arrow.”
“W-wait…!”
Crunch!
“Ughhh!”
I yanked the arrow out in one motion.
Just as expected…
Black, rotten blood gushed out.
“Healing Touch.”
I immediately cast the healing skill over the wound.
Mana flowed out of my body.
A warm light gathered at my fingertips.
The wound rapidly closed.
Even the black, necrotic flesh was replaced by healthy new skin.
“H-how…?!”
“You’re a healer?!”
“Then why didn’t you heal him yourself earlier?”
“N-no… that can’t be right.”
“How can a healer fight like that…?”
Kim Minju stared in disbelief.
Understandably so.
The man who had just demanded that she heal his teammate…
Had healed him himself.
Naturally…
I had no intention of explaining.
“Trade secret.”
That short answer shut down every further question.
After all…
Someone who had nearly let Hyung die despite agreeing to help wasn’t owed an explanation.
Hyung came first.
“Hyung.”
“How do you feel?”
“Uh…”
“My head feels clearer now.”
“But… how did you…”
“Come on.”
“I said it’s a trade secret.”
“You people sure are curious.”
I deliberately waved my hand dramatically to change the subject.
“We can talk about it after we get out.”
“Ah… right.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s just… unbelievable.”
His eyes had regained their focus.
He was speaking much more clearly now.
The treatment had worked immediately.
The crisis was over.
“If you’re in this condition, you’ll probably be able to move soon.”
“My teammate needs rest.”
“So do the two of you.”
“How about we move somewhere safer?”
“It’s not exactly pleasant resting beside a pile of goblin corpses.”
“The smell of blood could attract something.”
“Ah.”
“I was just about to suggest the same thing.”
“Let’s find somewhere safe.”
Both of them immediately agreed.
“Then, Hyung.”
“Stay on my back a little longer.”
Just as I was about to carry him again—
A message suddenly appeared.
[You displayed the greatest achievement within the ‘Tower’s Guidance.’]
[The Tower’s ‘Attention’ is now focused upon you.]
[A new trial—or opportunity—may be granted.]
Attention?
Is someone secretly watching me?
The thought left me uncomfortable.
“…What’s this attention thing…”
Before I could finish muttering—
ROOOOOOOAR!!
A tremendous roar shook the entire swamp.
Startled birds exploded into the sky.
“…!”
It was completely different from the shrill cries of the goblins.
Every instinct in my body screamed a warning.
‘It’s him.’
‘The ruler of this swamp.’
Before I could recover—
Another message appeared.
Unlike the others…
This one was different.
[Warning: The ‘Ruler of the Swamp’ has become aware of your existence.]
A message glowing bright crimson.
Its blood-red color carried unmistakable killing intent.
A chill ran down my spine.
‘So the trial came before the opportunity…’
‘Now that’s one hell of a trial.’
If that was how the Tower wanted to play…
Then I had only one answer.
‘I’ll make sure I collect that so-called opportunity with interest.’
As we moved to another location after the chaos, I used the spare time to carefully review everything I had learned.
‘Tell me about my unique ability, Shadow Mimicker.’
[Conditions not met. Limited information available.]
[Currently, the Unique Ability ‘Shadow Mimicker’ can extract and imprint only one skill per day.]
※ The skill automatically imprinted upon awakening does not count toward this limit.
※ Once a target’s skill has been extracted, that person’s shadow will no longer respond to Shadow Mimicker.
‘…What?’
It was like being struck by lightning.
That meant…
No matter how many times I stepped on Hyung’s shadow…
I would never get Flash Slash back.
‘Damn it… this just became troublesome.’
Healing Touch wasn’t a bad skill.
Giving up Flash Slash for it had been worth saving Hyung.
But…
Losing my only offensive skill hurt.
Just as I was thinking that, we arrived at a small clearing suitable for resting.
“This should be good enough.”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s take a short break here.”
As soon as everyone sat down, the other side spoke first.
“Let’s introduce ourselves properly.”
“I’m Kim Minju.”
“As you saw, I’m a healer.”
“My highest floor is the 3rd.”
“I’m Park Jinseong.”
“I’m basically a warrior… or tank.”
“My highest floor is the 4th.”
“I’m Kim Sihyeon.”
That was all I said.
Since I had awakened only today, I had no highest floor to mention.
And saying I had just awakened would probably bring more trouble than benefits.
“I’m Kim Jincheol.”
“I look like this right now…”
“But I’ve reached the 5th floor.”
“I’m also a warrior.”
Once everyone had introduced themselves, Park Jinseong got straight to the point.
“I’ll be direct.”
“Sihyeon.”
“Jincheol.”
“Would the two of you be willing to stay with us until we defeat the boss?”
Kim Minju quickly added,
“I know we failed to keep our promise earlier…”
“But we’ll definitely be useful.”
Would they?
I had handled almost every goblin myself.
The two of them had only finished off one that was running away.
Honestly…
I couldn’t judge how capable they really were.
‘Well, I did tell them to protect Hyung instead of fighting.’
Still, this wasn’t a decision I should make alone.
I turned to the veteran climber beside me.
“What do you think, Hyung?”
Now that the paralysis had mostly faded, he slowly rolled his shoulders before answering.
“Hmm.”
“I think we should work together.”
It wasn’t surprising.
To be honest…
I felt the same.
‘If defeating the boss is the priority, cooperation is better than competing.’
Even if they weren’t a huge help…
As long as they didn’t become a burden…
Four people were still better than two.
“Alright.”
“Let’s do it together.”
The two of them visibly brightened.
But since we’d be working as a team, I needed to make one thing clear.
“Before that…”
“There’s something you should know.”
“Of course.”
“Go ahead.”
“My combat ability won’t be the same as it was against the goblins.”
“I can heal now.”
“It’s related to my Awakener ability, so I can’t explain the details.”
“If you’re alright with that…”
“I’ll join you.”
The swordsman who had effortlessly slaughtered goblins…
Was gone.
That was my way of saying that if they couldn’t accept it—or kept questioning my ability—we couldn’t travel together.
“But…”
Kim Minju still looked like she wanted to ask something.
Park Jinseong slowly shook his head, stopping her.
“No, Minju.”
“Let’s just trust them.”
“If it weren’t for these two…”
“We’d already be dead.”
She reluctantly closed her mouth.
Park Jinseong smiled warmly and held out his hand.
“Then…”
“I look forward to working with you until we leave this place safely, Sihyeon.”
I shook his hand.
“Likewise.”
“I’m counting on both of you.”
Just like that…
A four-person party was formed.
All that remained was to find the boss, defeat it, and escape this place alive.
“Alright.”
“We’ve rested enough.”
“Let’s get moving.”
Hyung could move again.
Everyone else was ready.
It was time to leave.
“Ah, Sihyeon.”
“Before we head out, shouldn’t we first think about where the boss might be?”
“There’s no need.”
“Huh?”
Not only Park Jinseong, but everyone else looked confused by my confident answer.
Seeing their expressions made me smile.
“I can already see it.”
“See what?”
“Where the boss is.”
The warning message from earlier…
The one saying the boss had recognized my existence.
Actually…
It wasn’t the only one doing the recognizing.
‘The Tower really does give opportunities along with its trials.’
Far away in the distance—
Floating in midair—
Was a bright crimson message.
[‘Ruler of the Swamp’]
It was pointing the way.
The boss… was over there.
